No. 18 TCU routs UNLV to keep BCS hopes alive

Dec 4, 2011 - 12:00 AM
Fort Worth, TX (Sports Network) - Waymon James ran for two of TCU's six
rushing touchdowns, leading the 18th-ranked Horned Frogs to a 56-9 whipping of
UNLV on Saturday.

Matthew Tucker rushed for 55 yards and one score, while Ed Wesley, Casey
Pachall and Matt Brown also ran for touchdowns for the Horned Frogs (10-2, 7-0
MWC), who won their third consecutive Mountain West Conference championship.

"For us, to win a championship outright was important," TCU head coach Gary
Patterson said. "We didn't really get anyone banged up which is a big deal
because of the possible short turnaround for bowl season. That was the way you
want to finish a ball game."

Pachall threw for 185 yards on 15-of-22 passing, while Brandon Carter caught
four passes for 80 yards and Greg McCoy returned a kickoff 99 yards for a
touchdown.

The Horned Frogs still have hopes of earning a BCS bowl game bid after
Houston's shocking loss to Southern Mississippi in the Conference USA
Championship game. TCU must finish in the top 16 of the BCS Standings to get a
bid.

Nolan Kohorst accounted for all of UNLV's points with three field goals, while
Bradley Randle rushed for 71 yards on 14 carries.

Taylor Barnhill struggled under center for the Rebels (2-10, 1-6), throwing
for 48 yards and one interception on 4-of-12 passing.

UNLV opened the scoring midway through the opening quarter with a 39-yard
field goal by Kohorst to cap a five-play, 32-yard drive, but TCU came right
back on its next drive to take a 7-3 lead when Pachall rushed for an eight-
yard touchdown to finish off a nine-play, 55-yard drive.

The Horned Frogs extended their lead to 14-3 with 7:07 to go in the second
quarter when Pachall led a six-play, 59-yard drive to the UNLV 10 before James
sprinted across the goal line.

On the ensuing UNLV drive, the Rebels were pushed backwards for three plays
and faced a 4th-and-12. Deryck Gildon blocked the punt and recovered the ball
on the UNLV 32.

From there, the Horned Frogs needed only one play -- a 32-yard touchdown
sprint by Tucker -- to take a comfortable 21-3 lead with over five minutes to
play in the second quarter.

A 43-yard field goal by Kohorst on the Rebels next drive made it 21-6, but TCU
came up with a huge special teams play on the ensuing kickoff as Chase
Lansford's 69-yard boot was returned 99 yards to paydirt by McCoy to give
the Horned Frogs a 28-6 lead.

TCU's defense made another big play on the first play of UNLV's ensuing drive
as Barnhill was picked off by Kris Gardner, who took it back 16 yards for the
touchdown and a 35-6 lead at halftime.

After the break, the Horned Frogs continued the offensive barrage, scoring two
more touchdowns in the third quarter to balloon the lead to 49-6.

The first score of the quarter came on TCU's first possession of the second
half, as Pachall led a 10-play, 74-yard march to the UNLV two, before James
pushed his way into the end zone.

The second score of the quarter came on the Horned Frogs' next possession as
they moved the ball 81 yards in eight plays before Wesley ran in for a nine-
yard score on 1st-and-goal with under four minutes to play in the third
stanza.

Early in the fourth quarter, Kohorst was good on a 29-yard field goal -- his
third of the day -- to make it 49-9, but TCU responded with another touchdown
under three minutes later when Brown ran for a six-yard score to cap an eight-
play, 60-yard drive to finish off the scoring.

"We were in the game and playing hard and fairly well but any time we match up
with TCU's speed, skill and athletic ability, you are holding your breath
every time the ball goes out," UNLV head coach Bobby Hauck said. "They're
awfully good. In a game like this where you are the underdog, you have to get
touchdowns and not field goals. When you get those back- to-back scores that
really takes the wind out of your sails."

Game Notes

TCU leads the all-time series with UNLV, 9-1, and has won the past eight
consecutive meetings...TCU will head over to the Big 12 next season...TCU
finished with 385 yards of total offense, while UNLV racked up only 164 yards
of offense...The Horned Frogs' defensive ended the day with three sacks...TCU
converted 8-of-12 third down chances, while UNLV went 0-for-15 on third down.